ARC Ride is preparing to expand its battery-swapping electric motorcycle model beyond Nairobi after securing $33.3 million in funding, one of the larger recent investments in Kenya’s electric vehicle sector.
The funding will support the expansion of ARC Ride’s electric motorcycle fleet, the deployment of battery-swapping infrastructure and entry into additional African markets, including Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa.
ARC Ride founder and CEO Jo Hurst-Croft said the company is targeting approximately 5,000 electric motorcycles within each market ecosystem. Initial deployments supported by the new funding are expected to involve around 2,000 motorcycles alongside the batteries and swapping stations required to keep them operational.
“We’re putting in hundreds of swapping stations and batteries for thousands of bikes,” Hurst-Croft said.
Kenya will remain central to the company’s expansion plans. ARC Ride intends to move from Nairobi into Western Kenya, beginning with an ecosystem around Kisumu before extending operations towards other urban centres such as Bungoma and Eldoret.
The company has been testing its model in Western Kenya for approximately six months. Rather than immediately covering every rural area, ARC Ride plans to focus on locations with high rider density, where sufficient demand can support battery-swapping infrastructure.
ARC Ride’s model allows riders to purchase or finance an electric motorcycle while the company retains ownership of the battery. This reduces the upfront cost of the motorcycle and places battery monitoring, maintenance and replacement responsibilities with ARC Ride.
At an automated swapping cabinet, riders scan a QR code or use an RFID-enabled system to return a depleted battery and receive a charged one. Payment is based on the difference between the energy returned and the energy supplied, rather than a fixed fee for every swap.
For example, a rider returning a battery with 20% charge and receiving one with 95% charge would pay for the 75% energy difference.
ARC Ride currently operates nearly 300 automated battery-swapping cabinets across Nairobi and processes more than 15,000 swaps per day, according to Hurst-Croft. The company uses real-time usage data, predictive modelling and rider feedback to identify demand hotspots and determine where additional infrastructure should be deployed.
Battery interoperability remains a key issue in Africa’s electric mobility sector. ARC Ride is working with manufacturers including Yadea and expects other motorcycle brands to use its battery infrastructure. Hurst-Croft said the company is pursuing an open approach, even as governments and industry players continue to consider standardisation.
ARC Ride’s strategy is to build dense battery-swapping networks in major urban and regional ecosystems, making electric motorcycles a more practical option for commercial riders.
